JUST IN: Mikel Obi Headlines Nigeria’s 18 Man Olympics Squad

Watford’s Odion Ighalo, Kelechi Iheanacho of Manchester City and Arsenal’s Alex Iwobi miss out having not been released by their clubs but Super Eagles captain John Obi Mikel of Chelsea makes the squad.The 29-year-old Nigeria captain is one of the squad’s permitted quota of three players over the age limit of 23.

The men’s tournament – won by Mexico at London 2012 – begins on 3 August, two days before the opening ceremony.Those selected for the Games would miss much of the English pre-season and potentially the start of the Premier League and this has proved a sticking point between clubs and country.

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Nigeria, who have been drawn in Group B of the Rio Games alongside Sweden, Colombia and Japan, boast a strong Olympics record.

They made Olympic football history in 1996 by becoming the first African team to win the gold medal. Nigeria also finished runners-up at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, under coach Samson Siasia, who will again take charge in Brazil.

Chukwuyem Ogala is a content writer at Edliner. A multifaceted personality with a degree in Economics. He has a strong passion for Rap music and sports. A big fan of the NBA, likes Rafael Nadal and has a crush on Serena Williams. Chuks just strives to be better and wants to be heard globally.